Heat Pump Repair in Phenix City, AL
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Russell County will get in touch.
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Eleven months of run time wears on a heat pump here
Your heat pump works almost all year in Phenix City, switching to cooling in May and back to heat by November. That is eleven months of the compressor cycling on and off, with barely a break in between.
Summer afternoons averaging 91°F push the compressor hard for six straight months. Winter nights averaging 38°F keep the system in heating mode the other five. That much run time adds up on the compressor and the fan motor, and a system that never really rests is one where a weak part gives out sooner rather than later. With most homes here heating on electricity, when the heat pump stops working, there is often no backup keeping the house warm.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 6 months
- May through October, it cools
- 38°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors tests contractors before it licenses them, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so the same license covers this repair and the next one.
A heat pump repair almost always means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that takes a federal certification on top of the state license. Anyone handling refrigerant, in Alabama or any other state, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. On this job, the state license says the contractor is accountable for the work, and the federal certification says they are qualified to touch the refrigerant itself.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump's supply air is warm but noticeably cooler than the flame heat you'd get from a furnace, so it can feel cold even when it's working right. If the air is truly cold, check the thermostat is set to heat and not fan only, since the fan will run and pull room air through without heating it. A frozen outdoor coil, a low refrigerant charge, or a failed reversing valve will also leave you with cold air, and those need a contractor to check. Between November and March here, that's not something to leave alone for long.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit during a cold snap is normal, and the system defrosts itself on a timer, melting it off with heat and running the outdoor fan to clear the water. Ice that stays or keeps building means the defrost cycle isn't working, airflow is blocked, or the refrigerant charge is off. Check that nothing is stacked against the outdoor unit and that the area around it can drain. If the ice keeps coming back after that, have a contractor look at the defrost control and the refrigerant level.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- The outdoor unit and indoor fan running without cooling the house usually points to low refrigerant, a blocked filter, or a failing compressor. Check the filter first, since a clogged one restricts airflow across the indoor coil and cuts the cooling you get. If the filter is clean and the air still isn't cold, the outdoor coil may be dirty or the refrigerant charge may be low, and neither is something to fix from the thermostat. On a 91°F afternoon here, a system that's not cooling needs attention the same day.